


Hemorrhage

by Val_Creative



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Bloodbending, Crying, F/M, First Crush, Mildly Shippy, Self-Loathing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-27
Updated: 2012-12-27
Packaged: 2017-11-22 14:20:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/610755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Val_Creative/pseuds/Val_Creative
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She sobbed quietly into red fabric, nose half buried into a shirt that smelled soothingly like Aang.  /Experimenting with episode 8.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hemorrhage

.

 

 

The once proud Waterbender shivered violently, though wrapped in a ball of seal-fur blanket, unable to feel the heat of the campfire. Unable to warm, _vile,_ _disgusting_ blood.

Her companions tried their best to make her comfortable: Toph created a large fortress of earth around them to keep the fire in; Sokka managed to cook her some delicious fruit and meat; Aang offered to keep by her side, though the caramel–colored digits wrapped in his pale ones were dead to any kindly squeezing.

Thankfully, the edge of the musky, brown blanket sheltered her face from any curious glances or gentle stares. Katara did not care for sympathy or pity. She was _**tainted**._

Her powers healed the Avatar but now they could control the willpower and muscles of others: soldiers and innocents - anyone was a victim to her. Even the people Katara most cared about in the world. Her blue eyes peeked open meekly. A few inches away, a small brown mouse scurried unhurriedly across the ground, possibly to join its family or just surviving on the land it knew. Her lips thinned. Her free hand stretched out under the blanket, fingers flicking outward.

_Stop._

Mere seconds passed, then the mouse let out an inaudible squeak and stilled, pointing its whiskers up into the air with confusion.

_Pressurize the abdomen._

This time, the mouse shrieked painfully as it wiggled on its hind legs. Katara burst into revolted tears, turning her reddening face away as the mouse fled limping. Immediately, she was gathered into someone's arms as two pairs of footsteps became closer.

She sobbed quietly into soft, dark red fabric, nose half-buried into a shirt that smelled soothingly like Aang. From the corner of her vision, a dark hand like hers wiped the tears from her cheek and touched her unkempt hair, accompanied by her brother's gentle but urgent voice.

"Stop beating yourself up over this, Katara. You can use this thing to your advantage against the Fire Nation; we can win this war. They won't know what hit them."

At the sound of another sobbing whimper, she noticed that Sokka spoke no more that night. She guessed that Aang must have looked pretty intimidating to shut up even Toph. His embrace around her tightened uncomfortably to catch her attention. She lifted her face a little so that he could lean into her ear.

"Bending is a part of you. Good or bad. I lo—"

She felt the strangle rise in his chest. He had choked back the last bit he had wanted to say.

"I- _I_ mean, I know this power scares you, but…I know that you wouldn't do it to intentionally hurt anyone. You're not a bad person, Katara. You could never be."

Aang smiled nervously down at her. Katara showed her appreciation by returning the hug and a tiny "thank you." The blanket around her shoulders slipped off as she she moved closer into Aang's lap. "You were trying to say something earlier. What was it?"

The body she clung to flushed hotly. The sudden action coming from the additional, intimate source of heat or... undecidedly something deeper.

" _N-Nothing_. Nothing important right now."

 

 

.

**Author's Note:**

> Beta read by the talented and lovely pekori.


End file.
